Autopsies show cruise blast victims fatally scalded

Associated Press

Published Saturday, May 31, 2003

MIAMI (AP) -- A seventh crew member has died from injuries suffered when a boiler exploded aboard a cruise ship, and autopsies found that five victims were fatally scalded by a rush of high-pressure steam.

Ramon Villarais, 39, of Bulacan, Philippines, died at 6:45 p.m. Thursday at Jackson Memorial Hospital, company spokeswoman Susan Robison said Friday. She declined further comment about the Filipino engine room stoker, but said nine crew members were still in the hospital, including one in critical condition.

Meanwhile, the Miami-Dade County medical examiner's office said Thursday that one crew member who wasn't killed by steam suffered blunt trauma from the force of Sunday's blast, which tore through the steel casing meant to protect workers from the heat inside the boiler. Candido Valenzuela, 49, also suffered "thermal injuries."

Another 18 crew members were injured when a boiler exploded aboard the Norwegian Cruise Line's SS Norway, hurling debris and a blast of steam through parts of the 41-year-old ship docked in the Port of Miami. None of the more than 2,100 passengers was hurt.

Experts said the ship's four boilers generate steam up to 900 degrees and a leak at that temperature can rip a person's arm off and a single breath can sear the lungs.

"Very excruciating type of injuries," said Dr. Emma Lew, who performed the autopsy on one victim, Mari John Bautista, 29, who died Tuesday at Jackson Memorial Hospital. The other victims were Ramil Bernal, 26; Rene Villanueva, 28; and Ricardo Rosal, 50 -- all of the Philippines -- and Winston Lewis, 53, of Jamaica.

The National Transportation Safety Board is determining what caused the explosion and expects to have a preliminary progress report on their findings early next week.

"We still don't know what happened, and we haven't had the first look inside the boiler we thought we'd get on Thursday," said Capt. Robert Ford, who is leading the onsite investigation for the NTSB.